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Hi all, The roots would last longer, and @Dorey's palm flower longer again. Thinking about the bare root Alder, the easiest option may be a growing plant? With its roots in front of the hardscape? <"Cyperus alternifolius"> would have the right sort of roots. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Yes, it does totally safe. They probably wont last very long in the tank was another thought. No. cheers Darrel

Hi all, It is, a quick search for "Vetiveria zizanioides" and "phytoremediation" on <"Google Scholar would pull up lots of papers">. One reason it has been used is that it is "luxury absorber" and <"can be used for phyto-extraction">. That would be a little bit open to question, it would...

Hi all, If it really does have a slightly metallic sheen? I think it might "slag" <"from metal smelting"> (possibly zinc (Zn), lead (Pb) or copper (Cu)). cheers Darrel

Hi all, Not exactly what you want, but you can buy <"birch twigs for besom brooms">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, The drop checker solely measures the amount of dissolved CO2, other acids or bases in the water don't have any effect on it. Because it has the air gap only gases can diffuse across that gap. Have a look at <"CO2 relationship to KH">. I'm <"not a CO2 user">, but there is an explanation...

Hi all, No, it should be really rot resistant "as is", that is why you get the <"stag-headed" Oaks in fields">. The heart wood is very rot resistant, you can get timber framed houses that still have <"medieval Oak beams">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Cut a bit off, put it in the tank. It looks like it might be <"Oak (Quercus robur)">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, I'd be incredibly wary of introducing <"Soleirolia (Helxine) soleirolii">, it is very invasive. @Jaceree have a look at @hydrophyte posts, he tried a lot of <"different plants emersed">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, I'd like to think so, but as another Bonsai related sculpture is: Which seems to have a touch more of the Elon Musk's about it. I understand that, I'm not trying to impose some sort of cultural hegemony, and people are going to see very different things in any art work. My guess is...

Hi all, I'm not sure I understand conceptual art. I went to talk where the presenter explained why the paintings of Vermeer and Rembrandt were of their time, and that if either of those artists had worked in the 21st century they would have produced video installations etc. At least I think...

Hi all, I've an opinion about his work in general, totally artistically and morally bankrupt. cheers Darrel

Hi all, They are fine, however the suckers on them <"are useless">, so you need stainless steel, or <"acrylic hooks">, that fit over the glass rim, <"to anchor them in position">. @hydrophyte (Devin Biggs) doesn't <"come on the forum any more">, but he still has his company in America and...

Hi all, Difficult to know without a PAR meter, @oreo57 is your best bet for some informed comment. If you look at @Filip Krupa's thread you can see that they work. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Quite a few people are using them, @Filip Krupa has them on <"his monster tank">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, I'm going to carry on using mine until the electronic ballasts fail and it isn't economic to replace them or you can't get the tubes. If it is a <"standard size"> you can still get the Tridonic etc. ballasts and T5 tubes relatively cheaply. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Yes it has improved, in fact you get very <"little lamp lumen deprecation"> with tri-phosphor tubes and electronic ballasts. Basically they only <"need changing when the lamp doesn't turn on">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, The eight 54W tube units have two switches so can have the inner four tubes on, outer four on or all eight tubes on. cheers Darrel

Hi all, This <"was in 2013">, so they last OK, and looking back I actually bought <"them in 2011">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Those are absolutely fine. I have that model in the glasshouse, the luminaires have got some specs of rust on them, and the electrician said the choke units are pretty cheap when he replaced a couple, but they are cheap tubes to buy. cheers Darrel

Hi all, No it doesn't. You don't get a lot of tannins from the leaves either. cheers Darrel

Hi all, It normally sinks when it is fully waterlogged, although I believe that some floats whatever happens. cheers Darrel

Hi all, It depends on the plant, commercially they grow some <"salad crops under 24 hour light"> ("continuous illumination"), but others need a "night" and they use a 16 hour day for them. My guess is with the coming of LEDs, there is now a lot of work on R:B ratio and on LED pulsing. It may...

Hi all, It isn't exactly a test kit, and doesn't tell you anything specific, but I like a <"conductivity (TDS) meter">. They are <"nice and straight forward to use"> and don't <"require any interpretation"> etc. If you found a rock, that you weren't sure about, all you would need to do is...

Hi all, I'd go further than that, round cobbles are always safe to use, and any <"effect on water chemistry will be"> , at most, negligible. Only really hard rocks form cobbles. Yes, they just need a soak. It is for the same reason, if they were permeable they wouldn't have formed cobbles so...

Hi all, You can do both of them, Marcel's (@zozo) are good suggestions. <"Moss might be better"> for the internal filter body? cheers Darrel

Hi all, That is it, you need a <"node in each cutting">. That is where the new leaves and shoots grow from. I'm not sure that one is Hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum), it looks more like <"Limnophila sessiflora">? cheers Darrel

Hi all, I've seen these (<"possibly at Bristol Zoo?">), they are other worldly. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Same applies there, there have been suggestions that some photographs are not exactly <"what they purport to be">. I must admit I find the whole idea of wildlife photography (and aquascaping etc) as a competitive processes, a long with medals at <"Gardening shows"> etc. bizarre...

Hi all, You can prune them back as hard as you like, but you may find you get a lot of root suckers (ordinary non-curly Hazel) if you go at it too enthusiastically. I'd probably wait until all the leaves are shed before pruning, and if you don't have one it is worth investing in a Japanese...

Hi all, Where I've been lately (Lake District, Studland, E. Norfolk) there has been a lot of <"dead heather from the 2018 drought">, which should be ideal. cheers Darrel

Hi all, I PYO all the dead <"leaves">, wood, cobbles etc I use in the tanks. Heather (Calluna vulgaris) wood is <"good for smaller tanks">. Have a look at <"Now is a good time....."> and <"What type.....">. If you can find it long dead Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) is very rot...

Hi all, Ideally you need a plant with broad, flat leaves somewhere near the water surface, I like @lilirose, @Radiant & @ckbernie's Anubias suggestion. I'd also definitely have a floating plant, probably both Limnobium leavigatum and Ceratopteris "cornuta". Have a look at <"Planted Betta...

Hi all, Good point, how is Paracyprichromis with bright light? Altolamprologus "compressiceps" (Sumbu) Shell? You would need some Neothauma (or Escargot) shells. cheers Darrel

Hi all, <"Julidochromis ornatus">? cheers Darrel

Hi all, Were you watching "Game of Thrones"? cheers Darrel

Hi all, I had L100 for a while and it didn't touch the moss. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Floating plants and Ferns are pretty plec proof. If you feed your Bristlenose some green veg. (Courgette, Green Pepper, Runner Bean etc) you may find it leaves all your plants alone. The one that is nearly always eaten is <"Echinodorus (Bleherae) bleheri">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, I've done this, you don't even need to glue it, <"the dowel will expand"> when its wet and lock the two pieces together. Often you can still twist them to a new angle, but it only really works with fairly substantial bits of wood, that haven't softened. It works brilliantly with bits...

Hi all, It is a dechlorinator, but it also works with chloramine, because it binds any ammonia. Because there is a chance you may have some ammonia it would detoxify it. Perfect, they aren't CO2 limited so can make use of nutrients in the water column. Have a look at this thread, about the...

Hi all, They like eating Echinodorus bleheri, and you get a <"translucent lace like effect">. I'd be concerned too, can you get any floating plants? I'd carry on changing water every day and possibly add "Prime", even if you don't add it normally. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Welcome You should. Do you have a Bristlenose (Ancistrus sp.) plec? cheers Darrel

Hi all, The plants will be all right if they aren't attached for a while. I got <"fed up with continually re-attaching mine"> as thin pieces of wood decayed (which is inevitable) and now they only become attached if they lodge long enough in one place to attach themselves. Before I got to this...

Hi all, It had a bit of a <"vogue about ten years ago">, but seems to have fallen off the radar again. The much sought after <"Manzanita wood (Arctostaphylos spp.)>" are just big heathers really. cheers Darrel

Hi all, <"Eheim Jager"> heater and an <"Eheim Aquaball">, not pretty but very effective. cheers Darrel

Hi all, The more lignin they have in them (and particularly "guaiacyl-rich lignin"), the slower they are to decay. Tannins and humic compounds also slow microbial decay, which is why real black (Oak) Bog-wood lasts. <"White rotting fungi (Basidiomycota)"> can degrade lignin, but they aren't...

Hi all, I keep the cuttings when I prune our Blueberries and other <"Heathers"> (Erica, Calluna) etc. I also put the <"red autumn leaves in the tanks">, although they don't last very long. All this "heather" type wood is good for nano-scapes etc. cheers Darrel

Hi all, I've always used <"PYO wood, leaves">, <"cobbles"> etc. as well. cheers Darrel

Hi all, I'll be honest I can't think of one. Leaves are dark green because they contain an lot of chlorophyll, which usually occurs in plants with <"slow growth, adapted to shady conditions">. If it didn't have to be stem plant there are some other options, probably the plants that are the...

Hi all, Yes, take the bark off, bit they won't last very long. A lot of people use Willow and Poplar to feed Panaqolus spp. You tree is Salix matsudana "Tortuosa". If you put living twigs in the <"aquarium they may grow">. It isn't the tree you have, but he Corkscrew Hazel (Corylus avellana...

Hi all, Good idea. Have a look a the <"Daphnia bioassay">. It is to do with the site indexing, basically you can't search for any <"three letter words"> from within UKAPS, which is why I put Hedera in my search, I knew we had an Ivy thread to which I had contributed, and I would have used...

Hi all, It is a minor botanical difference, you can't tell which is which just by looking at them, they are both "Common Ivy". I think people have had mixed results with dead Ivy (Hedera helix/hibernica), <"I've used it and it was fine">, somebody else wiped out their entire tank. I would soak...

Hi all, You <"don't need to add ammonia">. It is better to plant the tank and then wait until the plants have grown in before adding the livestock. <"Plant/microbe biological filtration"> is much more efficient than most fish-keeper realize, partially due to the <"increased oxygen...

Hi all, If you go for rounded cobbles, you can just soak them for a few hours. Only really hard rocks <"form rounded cobbles">, and very hard rocks are impermeable and any salt will just be on the outside. If you scrape the surface of the rock with a file it is easier. If you can scrape up rock...

Hi all, Yes, it is a hard <"Cretaceous age limestone"> with lots of shell fragments. As the other have said, if you have hard water, and don't tend to inject CO2, it won't dissolve and <"make your water any harder">. Apparently usually interbedded <"with"Hassock", a softer sandy rock">, in the...

Hi all, Google did, a reputable forum says <"they are calcite">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, No, you are right. Limestone that has undergone metamorphosis is "marble". I think it maybe metamorphic and that would be because of the veins, if they are quartz, then silicon dioxide (SiO2) must have flowed (as a liquid) into the country rock under conditions of high temperature and...

Hi all, I'm too mean with my money to buy <"Terminalia catappa"> leaves, so I don't have any practical experience with them. I can pick up <"Alder cones">, Oak, <"Magnolia and Loquat leaves"> with minimal effort, so I would need some persuading that Indian Almond Leaves offer advantages they...

Hi all, <"Thakeham, W. Sussex"> apparently. It it is definitely a <"park land Oak">. Three reasons really: Oaks are common in fields across the UK. They naturally go through <"cycles of crown death and re-growth">, but now many are in poor condition, and stag-headed, due to inconsiderate...

Hi all, Yes just give a quick brush and use as is. If it is Oak it may well sink straight away without needing soaking. cheers Darrel

Hi all, My guess is that whatever you do to the wood won't make a lot of difference in terms of later fungal growth. I think it is to do with the way the wood was harvested and prepared, if it was living wood when it was cut <"it will have residual sugars and proteins">, within the vascular...

Hi all, You can use the floating plant as your "stem", they have access to aerial CO2, so aren't <"ever CO2 limited">. <"I'm not a CO2 user"> so having a plant that definitely isn't CO2 limited is very useful. I didn't have much success with <"Hygrorhyza aristata">, but I have <"Limnobium...

Hi all, @J@mes had a scape called <"Flintstones">. The flint (SiO2) itself is inert, but the outer white layer of the nodules is chalk (CaCO3). That chalk will only go into solution, and make your water harder, if you have water that <"isn't already saturated with calcium carbonate (CaCO3)">...

Hi all, cheers Darrel

Hi all, It is a nice colour. I can ask on PC, but I think she lives in Canada. cheers Darrel

Hi all, I agree with Tim. It depends a little bit on the Corydoras sp., but a lot of them actually like planted areas and leaf litter. There are forums and facebook groups with good information on them. I belong to <"PlanetCatfish"> and the <"Catfish Study Group on Facebook">, which both have...

Hi all, Not sure, more flow would probably give you more oxygenation, but that would only lead to an increase in NO3- if nitrification was compromised by lack of oxygen in the first place, which is unlikely in a planted tank. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Because we are into a run of stormy weather now is a good time to see if you can pick up some fallen dead Oak (Quercus) branches, or roots from windthrown trees. I keep an eye out for accessible <"Stag-headed Oaks">, like the one below. You won't get any really "twisty" wood, but...

Hi all, Only if it has gone really soft? Can you take it out of the tank? If you can I'd just scrape any soft bits of wood away and it should be fine to go back in. It is unlikely to be anything to do with the wood. Wood itself is 99% structural carbon and <"has very little nitrogen present">...

Hi all, Have a look through the <"Tropica "Easy" selection"> and I really like a <"floating plant during the tank start-up">. We have a thread <"What's your favourite....">. After that it really is a case of just choosing <"which plants you like the look of">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Good idea. There aren't many in the water column itself, there are many more in the attached biofilm on plant roots, in the upper layers of the substrate and on the filter media. In the case of the filter it is worth pouring 90% of the water out of the filter and making sure that it...

Hi all, You don't get much tannin from Beech (Fagus sylvatica) leaves. I like a bit of tint, so I usually mix some Oak (Quercus spp.) leaves and <"Alder"> (Alnus spp.) cones in with them. I'm a big fan of leaf litter <"for shrimps"> and <"small fish">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, It works, but you don't want too much yoghurt, you need to mix it with quite a lot of water. We have this thread, <"Lots of dry start...">, that is worth a read. There is also <"Georges TMC....">. I don't usually pass comment on hardscapes, mainly because I've never had an aesthetically...

Hi all, Lovely, I can have a go at names for a couple of the plants. The one that looks like a Hebe is possibly Hebe elliptica, it occurs in S. America as well as New Zealand. The dwarf ericaceous shrub is possibly Gaultheria (Pernettya) mucronata. I'm pretty sure one of the herbaceous plants...

Hi all, This sounds great. I don't know their rationale, but these are all things that simplify tank management and make maintenance of water quality a lot easier. I have tried to publicise this approach as the <"Duckweed Index">, but the same <"basic concepts were advocated">, long before me...

Hi all, I like it. I wonder if it is a liverwort, rather than an algae. If it is, I don't what it is. If it is an algae, I also have no idea unfortunately. I can't tell exactly what colour it is from the photo. If it is "grass green"? It will be a Green Algae (Chlorophyta), but it isn't one I...

Hi all, It depends a bit on the species. Out of the ones I've kept <"Nannostomus eques"> are pretty calm, <"N. beckfordi"> are a bit livelier and <"N. marginatus"> males fight, but only for small territories and they don't do much damage to one another. I think <"N. mortenthaleri"> are a bit...

Hi all, They <"are limestone">, and they will have some effect on water hardness, but it will be relatively small, because they are old (Carboniferous age about 320,000,000 years old) and very hard. We have <"rock of that age"> in Ireland, around Bristol, S. Wales, White Peak, Pennines and...

Hi all, I'd try and get the best quality "anthracite" (high carbon coal), it shouldn't have as many impurities. cheers Darrel

Hi all, We have a thread. <"Corylus avellana 'Contorta'">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, It is Jurassic age limestone. cheers Darrel

Hi all, You need the right bit, the heart wood from the bottom of old Elder (Sambucus nigra) bushes, it isn't soft and sappy like the stems, it is very hard and dense (it naturally sinks). cheers Darrel

Hi all, I assume they build their tubes for the same reason, it offers the animal some protection from being eaten. You get bloodworms in clean water, but usually only as a very minor component of the species assemblage. As an example, if you put a bucket of rain-water in the garden and add some...

Hi all, Yes they are bloodworms (Chironomid Midge larvae), and they make, and live in, these tubes. If you collect your own bloodworms you can use this to your advantage. After you've clean up the big fragments of leaf etc you can leave the blood-worms over night with the fine fragments and...

Hi all, Sorry run out of time to edit my other post. .....Have a look at this <"guide to filmy ferns">, basically they are the conditions you want for your moss to attach to the wood. Filmy Ferns (Hymenophyllaceae) are really similar to semi-aquatic mosses in their cultural requirements...

Hi all, Too dry. If the wood isn't fully saturated with water it will "suck" the water from the moss. This will keep on happening until the wood is fully saturated with water. You can try spraying it, but even then you may find you can't spray it regularly enough to keep the moss suitably damp...

Hi all, @Edvet didn't say, but he is fairly well placed to comment because he really is a vet. cheers Darrel

Hi all, I eventually had to get better lids for my tanks, after some <"light diffuser issues">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, I think @Edvet powers his matten filters via an internal filter (or powerhead?), rather than an air lift. I use the <"powerhead/big sponge block"> combination in a lot of my tanks. Have a look at the ones <"Swiss Tropicals"> sell in the USA. I'm still using that combination (same...

Hi all, The ones you want are "marine" or "food" grade Stainless Steel, either "316" or "304". @OllieNZ can give you the <"technical details">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Does it matter if the rock is limestone? If it doesn't there are quite a few <"forest marble" type limestones"> that naturally cleave into fairly flat slabs. They look a lot more natural than grey roofing slates. cheers Darrel

Hi all, They have quite high water quality requirements, you only find them in relatively highly oxygenated flowing water. cheers Darrel

Hi all, You may be able to get some PYO Oak. I keep an eye out for any <"stag-headed Oaks"> that are reasonably accessible. cheers Darrel

Hi all, You can only use the very hard dense wood from the base of the stems, and even then because the plant was growing you'll need to store them for a while. Have a look at <"Rootey wood"> The problem with Elder is that the new stems are <"very soft and pithy">, and contain a lot of...

Hi all, Rounded cobbles are pretty safe, it is only really hard rocks that form rounded cobbles and really hard rocks won't change water chemistry. <"Millstone Grit "> would be an example or any of the various Granite type igneous rocks. Same applies to all really old rocks, Carboniferous age...

Hi all, Yes, should be OK. I'm pretty sure it is <"Carboniferous age limestone">. I'd be surprised if the rocks weren't fine, but I agree with @sparkyweasel that the <"Daphnia bioassay"> is a good idea. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Ireland <"hasn't got a great record on environmental matters">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, In W. Ireland there used to be piles of it by the road-sides, where they were draining the bogs to plant Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis). Someone told me that Bog Oak is jet black, but Bog Pine (Pinus sylvestris) is more reddish, I don't know the truth of this. There is a paper...

Hi all, I'd just leave them grow for a while as well. Some <"will do really well"> and some less well, once they've grown you can start propagating the ones you like or the ones that have grown well etc. In the mean time take of any dead, or obviously unhealthy leaves, other than that just...

Hi all, It won't have much effect on water chemistry, its Carboniferous age and really hard. cheers Darrel